Energy, Environment and Sustainable Development (EESD) was one of the four thematic programmes of the Vth Framework Programme (FP-V) of the European Union. Research into the development of Sustainable Marine Ecosystems forms Key Action 3 of EESD. Only integrated or multi-disciplinary approaches can lead to sustainability in the long term. Single projects cannot adopt a sufficiently holistic approach towards sustainability. So as part of FP-V, projects sharing common environmental and socio-economic objectives were grouped into clusters.
The IMPACTS cluster operated by linking thematically complimentary projects via (a) Project Web pages; (b) Cross representation; (c) Exchange of data; (d) Joint meetings of project leaders; (e) Workshops; and (f) Science-strategic inputs to European stakeholders.
The goal of research conducted within the IMPACTS cluster was to quantify the effects of human activities focussing on pollution sources, transport, reactivity and impact set within the biogeochemical cycles of the contrasting marine ecosystems surrounding Europe.
The resulting RTD knowledge was intended to (a) underpin Europe’s emergent management models on the cost-benefits of pollution reduction, rehabilitation of degraded ecosystems and the sustainable development of the marine environment and (b) provide input to relevant conventions (e.g., OSPARCOM, HELCOM, Barcelona and Bucharest Conventions).
The following projects formed the IMPACTS cluster: From FP-V, CYCLOPS (cycling of phosphorus in the Mediterranean), MATBIOPOL (role of microbial mats in bioremediation of hydrocarbon polluted coastal zones), MEAD (marine effects of atmospheric deposition) and SIGNAL (significance of external/anthropogenic nitrogen for Central Baltic Sea N cycling), FAMIZ (Food web uptake of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in the Arctic marginal ice zone of the Barents Sea), BEEP (Biological effects of environmental pollution in marine ecosystems), BIOCET (Bioaccumulation of persistent organic pollutants in small cetaceans in European waters), INTERPOL (Impact of natural and trawling events in resyspension, dispersion and fate of pollutants), ADIOS (Atmospheric deposition and impact of pollutants and nutrients on the open Mediterranean Sea), AIRWIN (Structure and role of biological communities involved in the transport and transformation of POPs at the marine air-water interface) and current MAST-III projects: ACE (assessment of antifouling agents in coastal environments), BIOMARK (molecular approaches to assess pollution risks and ecosystem health in the ocean), MARA (microbial assays for risk assessment).
Closely linked to the IMPACTS cluster were the projects of EUROHAB Initiative (European Initiative on Harmful Algal Blooms): BIOHAB (Biological control of harmful algal blooms in European coastal waters: Role of eutrophication), NUTOX (Effect of nutrient ratios on harmful phytoplankton and their toxin production), Harmful Introductions by Ships (Test monitoring systems for risk assessment of harmful introduction by ships to European waters).
Linked to the cluster, through the CYCLOPS project, are also the data management projects: MEDAR (Mediterranean data archaeology) and MEDNET (Mediterranean modelling network and archiving programme).
Members of the BIOCET project team (Dr Ridoux and Dr Caurant, University of La Rochelle) participated in the IMPACTS workshop held in Pau, France, during February 2002.
For further information contact the:
European Commission
Research Directorate General- D1 Environment and Sustainable Development Programme
Sustainable Marine Ecosystems, Infrastructures Key Action
Email: Catherine.eccles@cec.eu.int